The Effects of Collaborative Interaction on Elementary Learners’ English Speaking Ability and Anxiety

The 2015 revised national English curriculum emphasizes developing English communicative competence. This study investigates effective teaching methods to improve English speaking skills and lower foreign language anxiety. For this purpose, 95 Korean sixth grade students were divided into two groups. In the experimental group, 47 students were taught through collaborative learning strategies and sentence frames while in the control group 48 students had classes of textbook contents and activities based on the national curriculum. Sentence frames are one of the scaffolding tools for language learners, and they are employed to help the participants in the experimental group engage in key expression practice. For 13 weeks, the students had two 40 minute classes per week. To determine the effect of the method, pre and post-data were collected through the English Speaking Proficiency Test (ESPT) Junior Level 2 and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale translated into Korean. Additionally, participants’ opinions about effectiveness of the method were collected after the post-test by using a questionnaire. The results indicate that collaborative interaction using sentence frames had a positive effect on developing students’ speaking ability while also lowering learning anxiety in the elementary classroom. Participants also found the method useful in their language learning process.